Pallet clamp



June 20, 1961 L. F. PlSPlSA 2,989,337

PALLET CLAMP Filed July 15, 1960 1 T NK T Z0 INVENTOR. /\/'\'I\/|, 50 A Esp/5A I BY United States Patent 2,989,337 PALLET CLAMP Leo F. Pispisa, 2013 Kimble St., Brooklyn, NY. Filed July '15, 1960, Ser. No. 43,034 6 Claims. (Cl. 294-106) The present invention relates to a clamp, and especially to a self-tightening clamp for grasping a pallet and is connectable to a hoist for facilitating the raising and lowering of fully-loaded pallets.

Heretofore, the raising and lowering of fully-loaded pallets by hoist was a diflicult and unsafe, if not impossible operation, as there was no known way or means by which the loaded pallet could be safely and conveniently separably connected to and disconnected from the hoist.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means in the form of clamps which may be releasably attached to the four corners of a pallet and which may, in turn, be secured to a hoist to raise and lower a fully-loaded pallet with complete safety and with maximum convenience.

It is another object of the present invention to provide means, in the form of clamps, which may be easily and conveniently detached from the pallet after it is landed in place.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide clamps for raising and lowering a fully-loaded pallet which are automatically tightened in place by the load on the pallet as it is raised, for maximum safety and security.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide clamps of the character described which are of relatively simple construction and easy and convenient to attach and detach from the pallet.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the pallet clamps of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practices of the invention more readily comprehensive, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pallet-loading clamp of the present invention, shown in disengaged position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pallet of FIG. 1, rotated at an angle of 90, and shown as secured on the runner of a pallet; the latter being shown in fragment;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the clamp of FIG. 1, shown in unattached position; broken lines indicating the clamp arms in gripping position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pair of clamp arms of the clamp;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, with the clamp arms in open position; and

FIG. 7 is a view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, with the clamp arms in gripping position.

Referring now, in greater detail, to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the same is shown to comprise a pair of elongated clamp arms, each generally designated as 10, preferably formed of metal, as steel, each formed with a pivot opening, 12, therethrough, intermediate its ends, and having a forward, clamping end 14, formed with a flat clamping face 16, lying in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pivot opening 12, and each having its other or rear end provided with a flat surface portion 18, lying on the same side as the clamping face 16, and disposed at an angle to said pivot opening axis.

The two clamp arms 10 are pivotally secured by their pivot openings 12 in a preferably metallic, rectangular frame or collar, generally designated as 20, including top and bottom walls, 22 and 24, by pivot pins 26, each of which passes through an opening 12 of a clamp arm 10 and through the top and bottom walls 22 and 24. The frame 20 preferably extends rearwardly over the slopefaced ends of the clamp arms 10, with the clamping ends 14 thereof projecting therefrom and disposed with their clamping faces 16 facing and spaced from one another, when in substantially parallel position, a distance equal substantially to the thickness of the runner 28, of a pallet 30. The sloping surface portions 18 of the two arms 10 are so formed that when such clamp arms are pivoted, as described, such surfaces diverge upwardly to form an approximately V-shaped space between them.

Mounted on the top wall of the frame 20, at the end thereof adjacent the pivots 26, are a pair of spaced lugs 32, each formed with an opening 34, holding a pivot pin 36, on which is pivotally supported intermediate its ends, a lever 38. One arm of the lever 38 extends in the direction of the clamping ends 14 of the clamp arms 10 and may overlap the frame 10, and has an eye 40, formed therein, by which it may be secured to a hoist cable 42. The other arm of the lever 38 extends in the opposite direction, over the frame 20, and engages, at its end, a Wedge member 44, that extends into the V-shaped space defined by the facing, sloping surface portions 18 of the clamp arm ends 16; the sloping sides 46, of the wedge 44 being arranged to contact said sloping surface portions 18. Preferably, the wedge 44 extends into the interior of the frame 20 through a suitable opening 48, provided therefor in the top wall 22 of the frame for that purpose. The lever 38 may engage the wedge 44 in any desired manner, as by having its end freely or pivotally held in the hole 50, provided in the upper end of the wedge 44.

In operation, four of the clamps of the present invention are each placed on one of the four corners of a pallet by disposing the clamping end thereof over the end of the ninner 28 at that corner; the clamp being disposed in horizontal position and slipped over the runner 28 below the pallet floor. Each of the clamps is secured by 'the eye 40, of the lever 38 to a hoist cable 42, that is connected to a hoist and, as the cables are raised by the hoist, the lever end of each clamp connected to the cable is raised to depress the other end of the lever and force the Wedge 44 into the V-shaped space between the inner ends 16 of the clamp arms 10, to spread them apart and thus press the clamping ends 14, thereof, against the ends of the pallet runner which they span. It will be apparent that as the hoist is raised, the resistance of the loaded pallet to the hoisting will cause increased pressure on the wedge 44 to force it further into the space between the inner arms 16 of the clamp. Thus, the greater the load on the pallet, the greater the pressure exerted by the wedge in the inner ends of the clamp arms, and the greater the pressure exerted by the clamp ends 14 on the pallet runner.

It may here be stated that to prevent the tilting of the clamp arms 10 on the pallet runners, their clamp ends 14 may be made of a height equal substantially to the height of a pallet runner and their bottom sides may be made substantially at right angles to the clamping faces 16, so that clamp arms 10 will be retained in horizontal position between the surface supporting the pallet runner and the underside of a pallet floor, against tilting during the initial stages of elevating the pallet, before the pressure on the clamp ends 14 on the pallet runner is sufiicient to maintain them in horizontal position.

In order to facilitate the placing of the clamp of the present invention in engaging position about the end of a pallet runner, as well as its removal therefrom, means may be provided on the clamps to normally maintain the clamping surfaces 16, when not in hoisting position, in spaced-apart relation to one another. Such means may comprise a contracting coil spring 52, engaging the end portions of the clamp arms adjacent the wedge-receiving surfaces 18, which spring will normally press such clamp arm ends toward one another to thereby spread the other clamp arm ends and the clamp surfaces 16 apart.

This completes the description of the pallet clamps of the present invention. It will be readily apparent that such clamp is simple and easy to arrange in. clamping position and will be self-tightening on the runner of a. loaded pallet, as said pallet is hoisted by said clamp, and will remain safely and securely in position upon that pallet runner while the pallet is in suspended position.

It will also be apparent that the clamp of the present invention will permit the hoisting of the loaded pallet without interference with its load and without any damage to any part of the pallet itself.

It will also be obvious that the clamp of the present invention may be easily slipped on and off a pallet runner and that it will remain in appropriate position over said pallet runner at all times, even before the full load pressure is exerted thereon.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variations in the pallet clamp of the present invention may be made by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the present invention and scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. A clamping device for the runner of a pallet, or the like, of the character described, comprising a pair of elongated clamp arms, said clamp arms each having a pivot opening formed therethrough intermediate its ends, a fiat clamping surface at one end thereof lying in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said pivot opening and a surface portion at the other end thereof, on the same side as said clamping surface, and lying in a plane at an angle to said axis, said angularly-disposed surface portions of said clamp arms disposed at an angle to one another when their clamping surfaces are arranged face to face, a frame including top and bottom walls, said clamp arms pivotally supported within said frame with their clamiping surfaces facing and projecting therefrom and their angularly-disposed surface portions diverging in the direction of said top wall, a lever pivotally supported intermediate its ends on said top wall, said lever having one arm thereof extending over said clamp arms in the direction of said clamping surfaces and the other arm thereof extending over said angularly-disposed surface portions, the end of said other arm of said lever carrying a wedge-shaped element, adjacent its end, said wedgeshaped element having its pointed end downwardly disposed with its sloping sides facing and extending between said singularly-disposed surface portions of said clamp arm, said one arm of said lever having means for engagement by a hoist cable.

2. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein said clamping surfaces are spaced apart, when in substantially parallel relation, a distance equal substantially to the thick ness of a pallet runner.

3. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein said frame extends over said other end of said clamp arm to enclose said angularly-disposed surface portions, and an opening is formed in the top wall of said frame where/through said wedge-shaped element projects into the space between said singularly-disposed wall portions.

4. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein means are provided to normally maintain said clamping surfaces in spaced-apart position.

5. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein means are provided to normally maintain said clam-ping surfaces in spaced-apart position, said means comprising a con-tracting spring engaging said other ends of said clamp arms to normally draw them together towards one another.

6. The clamping device of claim 1, wherein said portions of said clamping arms including said clamping surfaces are of a width substantially equal to the height of a pallet runner.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 967,661 Penfield Aug. 16, 1910 2,100,512 Kotowski Nov. 30, 1937 2,383,078 Pringle Aug. 21, 1945 

